The average high for this day in January is -4 and the average low is -11. That’s weather for riding the trainer. Or cross country skiing. But today the low was +4 and the high was +8. Also, the roads were pretty clear. Also, it wasn’t raining. Those conditions call for outdoor riding.
So this morning David, Jeff, and I swapped trainer tires for regular road tires, hunted down all the cold weather gear, and headed out for a January ride. The temperature was lovely. We weren’t cold at all. But the ride wasn’t easy. I laughed when even Strava declared it “tough.” It wasn’t that fast but I’m in less good shape than September and I’m carrying some extra holiday weight. Oh, January. It’s nothing to panic about. I’ll lose the few pounds and regain the fitness. I do most every year.
What that means is that the false flats felt like actual hills. The headwind seemed fierce even though objectively I knew it wasn’t that bad. By the time we stopped for coffee, I needed the break. And the caffeine. But we noodled home along the bike path, dodging children, runners, and geese smiling all the way. It’s just so nice to be outside on a bike in January.
You can watch some of our ride here.
After, of course, we warmed up in the hot tub. And after that I cleaned all the road grime and grit off our bikes.
I smiled when I checked out our ride on Strava and saw that about half dozen friends across the province had taken similar advantage of this unusually warm January day.
It’s bedtime now and I can feel the ride in my legs but I’m still smiling. Definitely worth it!
Huge brava to you! Almost wish I’d been able to join you 😉
I certainly wish you had been able to!